


Not From Mars

by harmony88



Series: Forever With You: Part 2 [10]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Fluff, Love Story, Sexual Content, Telepathic Bond, problem solving, telling the parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:54:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29307621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harmony88/pseuds/harmony88
Summary: COMPLETERose and the Doctor have a bit more problem solving to do following their encounter with Brain Guru Inc. and pay Jack and Mickey a visit, and try once again to tell Jackie their big news.“I’m sorry,” he whispered. She shook her head, sitting up a little, and traced his face carefully.“Bad dream?” she asked. He didn’t say anything, and she sat up completely, redoing the bun in her hair that had fallen a bit while she slept. He closed his eyes.“Old dream,” he said. “It’s fine.”“Doesn’t seem fine,” she murmured. He just took a deep breath.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: Forever With You: Part 2 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2111892
Comments: 4
Kudos: 123





	1. Breakthrough

**Author's Note:**

> Immediately follows the events in "Unspoken Words" and references the other stories in both series', so if you haven't read those some bits might be a little confusing. Thank you for reading!
> 
> Also, these chapters are a bit long, I know, but I couldn't find better breaking points without messing with the flow in my head, so here you go! Hope you like it!

He jolted awake, the sound of screams ringing in his ears. 

It was a nightmare he was familiar with. The fall of Gallifrey from the inside; the images he concocted in his head that he couldn’t escape, no matter how much hope he might have or how much progress he might have made. They sneak up on him when he leasts expects them or when he feels like he deserves to feel dread and guilt and pain, which, despite the words Rose and Jackie both said to him, is exactly how he was feeling tonight. 

Old habits are hard to break. 

It was still dark outside, and his internal clock knew it had only been a couple of hours since he laid down next to his wife, and he clenched his jaw, desperately trying not to wake her up. But she stirred, the hum in her mind incessant now that his home was on his mind, and he just shook his head, angry with himself as her eyes fluttered open and she looked at him, the moonlight from the window trickling onto his face. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. She shook her head, sitting up a little, and traced his face carefully. 

“Bad dream?” she asked. He didn’t say anything, and she sat up completely, redoing the bun in her hair that had fallen a bit while she slept. He closed his eyes. 

“Old dream,” he said. “It’s fine.” 

“Doesn’t seem fine,” she murmured. He just took a deep breath. 

“You need to rest,” he said. His voice sounded tired, and she just watched his neck as he swallowed. “We were with the Queen just a few days ago, we haven’t taken a break. You’ve been stressed.” 

“I’m okay,” she said. “Promise.” 

“I don’t want you to overwork yourself,” he said, snapping at her just a little. “Exhaustion and pregnancy don’t mix well. And you’re dealing with multiple types of DNA which could...It could lead to high blood pressure, which could lead to pre-eclampsia, which could cause a number of problems. And you can’t risk regenerating right now, I’m not sure -” 

She flipped the light on and interrupted him, her voice soft. 

“Okay, slow down,” she said. “Look at me.” He did, slowly, and she grabbed his hand. “Minor detail, maybe, but...I can heal myself.” She smiled at him and he just sighed. She rubbed his hand. “There is no need to freak out about any of that, alright? And I don’t think my Instincts would let me get to that point.” 

He ran a hand over his face. “You should still rest. Just ignore me, Rose, please? I’m fine.” 

She leaned forward, brushing his hair back off of his forehead and kissing his skin tenderly. She wasn’t harsh when she spoke, if anything her voice was like a blanket, trying to wrap him up in comfort. “That would have worked three years ago, Doctor, but not now. You don’t have to tell me anything, but don’t lie to me, please.” 

“I’m not lying, I’m -” he said, and she pulled her hand away, giving him a knowing look. “I’m just upset a little, but I’m fine. I...will be fine.” 

“Tony is basically back to normal, no?” she asked. He clenched his jaw, nodding. “Is it all the other kids?” 

“It’s a lot of things,” he muttered. She just kissed his forehead again. 

“Still want to go do some threatening? We can. We can leave right now,” she murmured, kissing him again. He made a small noise, her kisses creating goosebumps on his arms, and she moved her mouth down the side of his face. “I can look up their headquarters, we can go visit earlier today, maybe before you wiped the memory chip, and -” 

He sat up, staring at her, and she saw a small smile start to creep onto his face. “Say that again.” 

“We can visit today, maybe before you wiped the memory -” she said, and he kissed her. It was a passionate kiss, full of hope, and he jumped out of bed, throwing his pajamas on the floor as he pulled his suit back on, not even bothering to check his hair before he was getting ready to run downstairs. “Wait! I wanna come!” 

He turned back to her from the doorway and watched as she threw on a pair of jeans and left her t-shirt on. She was checking her face and hair for a half second in the mirror and he began to bounce on his feet, eager. “You look beautiful, come on!”

He smiled at her and grabbed her hand, and they ran to the TARDIS. Rose was on her phone, looking up the location of Brain Guru’s headquarters, still not quite sure what he was thinking but she didn’t care. She knew he’d tell her or she’d figure it out, and she showed him the screen, letting him choose the coordinates, and he pulled the lever. 

“Can you grab some psychic paper?” he asked, watching the monitor carefully as the spin of time halted under their feet. She ran to their bedroom, returning less than a minute later and put some in her pocket as he tucked his in place, and he looked at her. “You’re brilliant, you know that?” 

“Not sure what I did, but thank you,” she said, smiling at him. “What are you thinking?” 

“Find their broadcast files,” he said. “Change the code on the commercial. It won’t stop all of the headaches, but it should rework the brainwash a little and make them less severe when the frequencies get turned off. Not sure at all how yet, but -” 

“Won’t that affect our timeline?” she asked. “We were with Tony when he -” 

The Doctor shook his head. “Think about it. He healed much faster than I expected. I thought it was sleep, but…” 

She suddenly smiled at him, realizing that if all goes according to plan, this was something they had already done. 

Wibbly, wobbly, timey-wimey stuff. 

He just made a sound of triumph as he kissed her again, lingering just for a moment. “Allons-y, Rose Tyler!” 

He was feeling a little more like himself. 

He didn’t have time to reflect on the whiplash his emotions could give him, instead he held his wife’s hand, knowing this breakthrough was entirely because of her, as they approached the front doors of Brain Guru Headquarters in east London nineteen hours prior to where they were when he woke her up, and they walked to a check in desk, smiling and flashing physic paper that said they had an appointment with the CEO to a young intern who looked a little unenthused to be there. 

He just pressed a button and waved them forward, and the Doctor winked at Rose as they rode the lift up to the media operations floor and walked out. 

They could have done a better job with disguises, he supposed. Perhaps he could have grabbed a tool belt for his waist and Rose could have a clipboard and they could have pretended to be there for maintenance reasons, but it was too late for that. He looked around carefully, watching employees mill about. Chatter buzzed around them, as did the smell of coffee, and his eyes darted to Rose, who was trying to ignore it as best she could. 

“You alright?” he whispered. She nodded. 

“Just don’t grind it and I should be fine,” she said. He rubbed her back and looked back up. It was the calm before the storm, he knew, and Rose bit her lip, deducting alongside him. 

There were screens everywhere. Some were full of data, some were editing videos, some were working on future projects for the company, but seeing as it was still 2010, they knew it was all easy to hack and not nearly as advanced as what they dealt with back in 2106. And considering how that all worked out, he was pretty confident this would be a piece of cake. 

He smirked and nudged his mind to Rose, thinking how wonderful a slice of cake would be to celebrate this small victory should it work, and Rose just gave him a smile. The Doctor was scanning the area with his eyes, trying to find an empty room with a computer. 

All he needed was five minutes. 

“Blue suit,” Rose murmured. “Go tell him you’re someone important.” 

“You don’t want to do it?” he asked. She shook her head. 

“Not dressed the part,” she said quietly. She just squeezed his hand and she hung back, tucking against the wall away from the coffee stench as she watched the Doctor charm the administrative assistant for the Broadcast Department (he would quickly learn), and he turned back to Rose as he followed him down the hall to the CEO’s office, whom the Doctor once again claimed he had an appointment with as a potential large donor. 

“Just wait here,” the man in blue said. The Doctor made sure Rose could hear everything, and she calculated her own entrance. “He should be here any minute.” 

“Thank you,” the Doctor said, smiling at the man. Rose glanced up, seeing the man in blue return to his desk, and she nibbled on her lip. The Doctor, at the same time, looked around and sniffed as he soniced the door open and severed the security camera with a quick change of the settings, locking the door behind him. 

_I’m in._

_Go ahead and get started, I think I should be out here._

_Be careful._

He immediately turned the computer on. The second hand on a clock taunted him as he took a deep breath, looking at the very large monitor. He clicked his jaw when he realized the portal to get into the database required a password, and he began to tap his foot. 

He wished Mickey was here. 

_Can you bypass it?_

_Yeah, but we’re pressed for time._

_Something with Max?_

He looked at the keyboard carefully, getting down onto his knees so he could trace the middle of each key with his eyes, looking for any indication of wear and tear on certain ones that weren’t on others. 

_Doctor, just try ‘Mighty Max’ or something._

He frowned and typed that in, but it didn’t work. He tried other things he had heard the robot say, but two more attempts came back incorrect and he got a warning he’d have two more tries or would be locked out. He scanned the computer carefully, trying to get any information he could, and he also decided to check the desk, looking for any notes or reminders. 

He glanced up for a moment, thinking he heard footsteps, but he quickly returned to the drawer, searching and showing it all to Rose. 

_Black notepad, check there._

He did, incredibly grateful for her Instincts once again, and smiled. 

_Well done, love._

A list of important passwords and other codes were on the page, all written backwards. It was clever, he thought, to try and make them all that much harder to read, but seeing as he was _very good_ , he quickly solved the puzzle, typing the correct password into the computer and unlocking the database. 

Rose was still outside, waiting to potentially have to stop the CEO if he walked up the stairs, and she watched in her mind as the Doctor opened a series of files, reading fast and storing all the information away in his brain, clicking and scrolling, one right after the other, as the second hand on the clock continued to tick. 

She heard a door open at the same time that he found what he was looking for. 

He stared, his brow furrowed, taking in the algorithm for the code inside the broadcast. He quickly realized they had done a staggering amount of work to make this possible, and if it weren’t so despicable, he might be impressed.

_How are they doing it?_

_Soundwaves, looks like. They’ve isolated the actor's voice in the commercial on the word ‘fun’. Created a special code, a layer of data on top of the original that syncs to brainwaves in 3-5 year olds. It’s fairly high tech, actually. It’s the implant. Sparks the yearning for the toy inside each child’s mind by speeding up the frequency._

He didn’t allow himself to get angry at the audacity of all of this, not again. He knew they didn’t have time for him to be anything other than focused, and when Rose suddenly saw a man she instinctively knew was the CEO walk up the stairs she stopped him, jumping out and bumping into him, making him drop all of the papers he was holding and spilling his coffee. 

She puked. 

He was quite angry, yelling immediately, and she insisted on making it up to him, forcing him to talk to her while the Doctor ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out how to undo the code. 

He couldn’t even appreciate Rose and her brilliance as she kept finding ways to keep the man where he was. Other people had come out to help them both, and as the CEO made a scene and continued to yell, the intern from before led them downstairs to both clean up. 

She used her sonic screwdriver discreetly as they walked, turning off the lifts for a moment and locking the hallway door. 

_That’s a fire hazard._

_Shut up._

He smiled for a moment, feeling her own smile in his head, and looked back at the data, sighing.

“Alright...Plan B,” he muttered. 

It would take too long to wipe the code entirely, he realized. There were layers and layers of firewalls he’d have to break through which was easy enough to do, but now that the CEO was there screaming at Rose, he didn’t have time. 

The solution hit him like a ton of bricks, and he began to ramble in his mind. Rose couldn’t understand a single word he was saying as the man was still screaming at her, threatening to press charges like a rich schoolboy who had Daddy handle all his problems. 

“Ohhhh of course!” he whispered to himself, quickly typing. He started to grin, and he opened up a new file, creating a patch that he could add on top of the existing code. 

He’d explain it all to Rose later, aware she was a little distracted, and he almost let his anger that she was getting yelled at trickle in, but he could feel how calm she was and that kept him focused. 

She found it all rather amusing, in fact. 

He worked fast and was feeling quite giddy as he implemented the patch, watching the code rewrite itself. 

“HA!” he shouted, and he let out a deep breath. 

He checked it was saved, and smirked, sonicing the computer and therefore the database so the patch was irreversible and permanent, even with future codes, successfully rendering the enterprise useless. 

Some days, when the stars align, they get lucky. 

He turned the computer off and closed the desk door, letting himself out. The man in blue called out to him, telling him the CEO had an emergency but should be there soon but he ignored him, using his sonic to restart the lifts and unlock the hallway door. 

He found her sitting on a bench, clearly bored, still getting yelled at by the CEO. 

“Hello,” the Doctor said, not smiling. Rose just looked at him, completely unaffected by the man, who stopped his yelling to stare at him, 

“Who are you?!” he asked. 

He flashed his psychic paper and the man’s eyes widened. “I was upstairs waiting for you, but seeing how you’ve treated my wife, I think I’ll be leaving now.” 

“She’s…” the man said, looking back at Rose, who shrugged. 

“I’m pregnant, your coffee triggered morning sickness. Tried to explain that and apologize, but you started screaming,” she said simply. He just opened his mouth, then closed it, and the Doctor shook his head. 

“Such a shame. I was so looking forward to doing business with you,” he said. “Let’s go, love.”

“Truly a pity,” she said as she grabbed the Doctor’s hand and they walked out the front doors, knowing they didn’t need to do any threatening when they already fixed the problem and waited until they were back on the TARDIS to break into laughter. 

“Oh! That was brilliant!” he said, hugging her. “His face!” 

“I know!” she said. They laughed for a few more moments, and his dread from before had vanished. She sighed happily as he pulled away, cupping her cheeks. 

“Are you feeling alright?” he asked. She nodded. 

“Just fine,” she whispered. “What’d you do?” 

“Patched the code,” he said. “Changed the purpose of it entirely. Made it go from triggering a desire for the toy, to a trigger that eases the frequencies in all the kids’ heads.” 

“What’s that mean?” she asked, smiling at him. 

“Means the worst bit of the headache should last about three hours for everyone,” he said. “They’ll most likely sleep through it, too, just like Tony did. They’re all...They’re just fine.” 

“My Doctor,” she said, beaming at him. He let out a breath of relief, hugging her tightly as he felt the guilt dissipate a bit. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, slow, soft, and gentle before he deepened it and pressed her body against the railing. 

“Never would have thought to do this without you,” he whispered, sneaking his tongue to hers. “Thank you.” 

She kissed him, her hands in his fairly wild hair, and he made a sound of contentment as their mouths circled each other and their tongues lapped, until she pulled away to catch her breath. 

“We make a pretty perfect team, you and me,” she murmured, and he smiled at her. 

“Oh, yes,” he said. “Forever.” 

“And ever,” she added, her heart skipping a beat. He kissed her again, unable not to, and she laughed as he snaked his hands under her shirt, circling her hips. 

“What?” he asked lovingly. 

“Tickles,” she murmured, and he pulled her into a hug instead, his hand still tucked under her shirt, cool against her skin. They stayed there for a moment, his Christmas scent wrapping around her and she kissed his shoulder. “We should go see Jack. Since we’re out.” 

“Are we running errands?” he teased, smirking a little at her. She laughed. 

“Kind of,” she said, biting her lip. “I wanna tell Mum today. But I don’t want to have to leave right after because we have to go back to saving the universe.” 

“Quite right,” he said, taking a deep breath. He squeezed her for a moment before he moved to the console, punching in the coordinates and smiling at her as she pulled the lever. 

She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and took some nausea medicine, begging her body to ease up on the sickness soon as she walked back into the console room. Just as the spin of time halted, she saw him staring at the sonogram. He looked thoughtful, smiling just a little and she walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and he leaned his body against her. 

“Your mum almost asked me about them,” he said softly. She sighed. 

“When’d she do that?” she whispered. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” he said. “We chatted.” 

He pulled her hand up to his mouth and kissed it. Before either could say anything else, they could suddenly hear the sound of footsteps running to their door, and Rose slipped her arms off of him to grab his hand, opening the TARDIS just in time to see Mickey stopping in front of them, a little breathless with Jack and Gwen right behind him. 

“Bloody hell it’s good to see you!” he shouted, and they both jumped down, Rose hugging Mickey while Jack winked at them both. Gwen stepped forward too, hugging the Doctor then Rose. 

“How are you?” she asked, and Rose just laughed. 

“Good, mostly,” she said. “We're sorry to just drop in, but…” 

“You need us?” Jack hummed, wagging his eyebrows, and the Doctor rolled his eyes. 

“Well, come on, then!” Mickey said, “Blimey, it feels like it’s been ages.” 

It had been a while, and she did feel a little guilty about it. Their visit to the parallel universe and subsequently the Space Games happened about a year ago, and she was quite proud of him and the way he had become an integral part of Torchwood’s operation. Jack had sensed he’d fit right in immediately, and she had no doubt about it either, but it was still very nice to see. 

She watched him lead them through the front doors, bringing everyone into the main office as he caught them all up on their last mission with an alien slug. 

The Doctor watched him, too, once again reminded that the six years he spent in the parallel world had hardened him, in a way, and given him a load of confidence he still wasn’t quite used to seeing on ‘Mickey the Idiot.’ He sat next to Rose, holding her hand. 

“So what about you?” Mickey finally asked, his story complete. “What have you been up to? Jack told me you gave him a lift the other day. Couldn’t bother to say hi?” 

“We didn’t have time,” the Doctor said simply. Mickey gave him a look and Rose’s tongue traced her lip. 

“We’re here now, yeah?” she said, and Mickey just sighed, sitting down in a chair by his desk, reacting how she expected. Jack was watching them as Gwen moved to make tea for everyone, and the Doctor cleared his throat. 

“Do you know anything about this?” he asked, pulling one of the diamonds out of his pocket. Jack’s brow furrowed and he crossed to it, examining it carefully with a low whistle. 

“Where’d you get it?” he asked. 

“Trinity,” he said. “Sorry. It’s…” 

“Got it,” Jack said, not needing him to explain further if he didn’t want to. He glanced at Rose for a moment, a silent understanding between them that this is what got his nerves jumbled that day and he took a deep breath. “Is it just a diamond?” 

“No,” he said, and he spent the next few minutes recapping their trip to the Kingdom of Arden, leaving out Rose’s pregnancy in case she didn’t want Mickey to know yet, but he made sure to go over the timelock and the wolf’s den, and included details from their trip to the Torchwood Estate years ago just in case, and when he was finished, everyone was staring at him. 

“If it was just a thing that seemed isolated to that region and that time period, I’d let it be the end of it,” he said. “But then we found this on Trinity in today’s time and...well…” 

“Who had it?” Gwen asked. Rose sighed. 

“Some man from Juu,” she said. 

“What’s that?” Mickey asked, and the Doctor smirked. 

“Exactly,” he said. “He said he got it from someone’s bag on Trinity recently.”

“We paid Queen Victoria a visit to see what we could piece together, but all we got from her was that they were a gift,” Rose said, and the Doctor sighed. 

“No idea who from,” he added, and Jack was looking back at the diamond. 

“We don’t think the timelock was the main goal,” Rose added. “But before we can figure anything else out we need to know who made them and who gave to her.”

“Is there a…” Jack began his eyes darting over to Mickey. “A timeframe on all of this?” 

They knew what he meant, and the Doctor saw Mickey glance up, curious. He looked at Rose. 

“‘‘Bout six and a half months? Give or take?” she said, smiling sheepishly, and Jack beamed at her. 

“What happens then?” Mickey asked, and Rose looked at him, her tongue playing with her lip. Gwen looked over, too, and Rose blushed. 

“I’m gonna have a baby,” she said softly, and Mickey’s face fell, stunned. 

It felt good to say it out loud, and the Doctor kissed her temple. Part of her felt bad telling Mickey before Jackie, but Jack already knew and she just told herself they’d see her mum later that day, and it would all be fine. 

Her head was spinning a little, though. 

Gwen cupped her hand over her mouth and ran to them, catching them both in a hug. The Doctor laughed a little as she told them congratulations and his eyes met Jack’s, who was still smiling widely, bouncing on his feet. 

“Oh, baby, you have no idea how much I wanted to tell them,” he exclaimed, kissing them again. 

“You knew?!” Gwen asked, and Rose bit her lip, looking at Mickey carefully. He was still staring at her, and it was hard to read his emotions. They hadn’t been a couple in a very long time, and she knew he was over her just as much as she was over him, but he was still her oldest friend, and the look in his eye made her shiver for some reason as he finally stood and moved to her. No one spoke, and the Doctor’s Adam’s apple bobbed as Mickey wrapped Rose in a hug, squeezing her slightly, his eyes closed. 

“You are gonna make a damn good Mum,” he whispered, and Rose felt her throat tighten. 

“Thanks, Mickey,” she whispered. He pulled away, staring at her in awe, before he looked over at the Doctor and held out his hand. 

“Never thought I’d see the day,” he admitted, and the Doctor just shook his hand, smirking as Mickey still brought him into a hug. “You two as parents...That’s gonna be one powerful kid.” 

The Doctor just looked at Rose, impossibly in love with her and she leaned her head on his shoulder just as the door opened, and two people they’d never seen before stood in the hall, both taken aback. 

“Sorry, didn’t realize there were people here,” a man said with a Welsh accent. Jack smiled. 

“Ianto! This is the Doctor and Rose Tyler,” he said. “Though, you probably know that, don’t you?” 

Jack winked at them and Rose’s brow furrowed, looking at Ianto who seemed slightly embarrassed. Jack just rolled his eyes. “He worked with Torchwood One. Spent the last few years traveling before he made his way back here. Used to assist Yvonne Hartman, right?” 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the Doctor muttered, making a disgruntled face that made Rose smile. Both of their minds, for a moment, flashed to Canary Wharf but they chose not to dwell on it. Not this time. 

They had forever. 

Rose still slipped her hand into the Doctor’s and gave it a squeeze, though, and he squeezed back. 

_I love you._

_I love you, too._

Ianto just looked at them, still slightly confused as Jack placed a hand on his shoulder. “Ianto cleans up after us and gets us everywhere on time. And he looks great in a suit.” 

Rose’s eyes snapped to Jack and they flashed each other a knowing smile. Ianto cleared his throat, giving Jack a look the Doctor recognized as the one Rose gives him when he says something flirtatious from time to time. He bit his cheek and looked down at his feet and Ianto moved away from Jack. 

“Careful. That’s harassment, sir,” he teased, and they both smiled at each other as he handed Gwen a file. “Just dropping a report. Sorry to interrupt.” 

“No, stay,” Rose said, a little giddy and desperate to watch him and Jack together. The Doctor shook his head and rubbed his eye at her, and Jack just clicked his jaw, also aware of what Rose was up to as Ianto walked over and sat at the desk near Mickey’s, opting to stay quiet. 

“And this is Mona Howard,” Gwen said, “She’s been with us for a while now, too, haven’t you?” 

“Can’t seem to stay away,” she said with a Scottish accent, laughing with Gwen. “My family lives in Glasgow, though, so I split my time between here and Torchwood 2.” 

“We’re officially expanding,” Gwen said with a smile. 

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Mona said to the Doctor and Rose, smiling at them. Her brown hair was pinned up on her head, and while Ianto was in a suit, she was a little more casual, wearing jeans and a plain gray blouse, and she had some glasses perched on her nose. “You two are the stuff of legends.” 

The Doctor chuckled a little and Rose bit her lip, looking at the woman curiously. Torchwood 2 was the smallest of the branches and rarely had much going on, a fact Pete often made jokes about only he thought were funny. Mona kept smiling and Rose took her in, not quite sure what to think. Ianto clearly had Jack’s sign of approval, but he didn’t say anything or even look at Mona, whose smile was starting to falter. 

“Well, I’m quite busy doing some inventory, but I wanted to drop this off, so sorry,” she said, handing her file to Gwen as well. “See you around, maybe.” 

She slipped out and Rose looked at Jack. “How’d you find her?” 

“She came knocking,” Jack said. “Torchwood 2 needed help with a case about three months ago. We collaborated, and we actually worked really well together. Especially her and Gwen. She’s good. Been on a couple missions since, but she’s not quite earned her keep. Hence why she’s doing inventory.” 

He just winked playfully, and Gwen made some comment about how he should be nice while Rose rolled her eyes, realizing Jack liked her, and that made her feel better. She wanted to start asking Ianto questions but she didn’t, suddenly distracted as Jack pulled the diamond back out and grabbed a magnifying glass, looking at it carefully. “We’ll check our records. I’ve never seen anything like this, though.” 

“They’re artificial,” the Doctor added. “There’s a time signature in them.” 

“What year?” Jack asked. 

“1881,” Rose said. He nodded. 

“We’ll keep you posted,” he said. 

They all worked for a little while, but the reports Ianto and Mona had given Gwen took her attention along with his, and they were left in the room with Jack and Mickey. For a moment, the Old Team just looked at each other, and Mickey just shook his head. 

“You’re pregnant,” he said, shaking his head. “That’s really something.” 

“Yeah,” Rose said. 

“Here, took this a couple days ago,” the Doctor added, pulling out the sonogram he had in his pocket to give to Jackie and passing it to Mickey. Jack got up too, unable to resist the urge to look. 

“Damn,” Mickey said, still a little stunned by the news. Rose smiled at him and he handed the sonogram back to the Doctor. “You two are happy though?” 

“Very,” the Doctor said, and Rose began to trace small circles on his hand. It was subtle and only something the Doctor would notice, and Mickey just smiled. 

“Good,” he said. “I’m happy for you, too. Truly.” 

He looked at Rose and just nodded, and she could tell there was something else he wanted to say. The Doctor heard her stomach growl, however, and he immediately looked at her and helped her stand. “We should go.” 

“Yeah, alright,” Mickey said, standing, too. 

“We’re going to go to my Mum’s, if you want to come,” Rose offered, and Mickey just smiled. 

“Are you telling her the big news?” he asked. Rose nodded. “As much as I would love to see her reaction to that, that’s for you two to do alone, I think.” 

The Doctor swallowed and looked at Mickey, who seemed genuinely happy, but somehow also maybe a little sad, he couldn’t quite tell. He knew it wasn’t jealousy or anything malicious, but it was something, and he found himself wanting to ask if he was alright and choosing not to, not sure if he should. 

“You kids have fun,” Jack said with a wink. “I’ll call if we find anything.” 

“Thank you,” the Doctor said, and they all hugged each other. “We’ll do a trip soon.” 

“I’m always in,” Jack said. 

“Me too,” Mickey chimed, and Rose smiled at them both. 

They made their way back to the TARDIS after quick goodbyes to Gwen, Ianto, and Mona, and they materialized in the Tyler’s backyard about five minutes after they first left, where the sun was still down and the stars were still twinkling above them. 

He held her hand as they walked inside and she perused the fridge, grabbing a collection of snacks that made her husband smirk at her. Neither wanted to risk pulling out dishes and waking up Tony, and he supposed they could go back to the TARDIS but she seemed content with leftover chicken and rice, then a banana, and then some yogurt, and he just smiled at her. 

“That was all rather healthy, Rose Tyler,” he said. She just looked at him, her spoon still in her mouth and she grinned. He laughed a little at her and she scooped more yogurt, and he poured himself a glass of water, sitting down across from her again as they let the last few hours sit with them for a moment. 

“That was eventful,” she said, finishing her yogurt. He shrugged. 

“A Day in the Life of a Time Lord,” he mumbled, and he ran his hand through his hair. “I’m worried they won’t find anything.” 

“Then we will,” she said, reaching for his hand. He just looked at her, his eyes tracing her face for a moment before he leaned in and kissed her, noting the faint taste of strawberry yogurt on her lips. “I’m a bit tired.” 

“We can go upstairs,” he said, and she nodded, leading him to the bedroom, where they both put their pajamas back on and crawled between the sheets, her head on his chest as he rubbed her hair. 

“Do you wanna talk about your dream?” she whispered, and he shook his head. 

“I’m fine, Rose,” he said. She nuzzled into him a little, knowing not to push, and he kissed her forehead, feeling the moment she fell asleep in his mind. He knew it would do him some good to sleep as well, having only gotten a couple of hours and he closed his eyes, drifting off.


	2. Gifts and Love

A scoop of sugar landed in her glass with a _plop._

The Doctor glanced up from a book he was reading and saw that she was mixing lemonade vigorously, clearly lost in thought, and he looked at Jackie, who was trying to hide a smile. They both knew Rose didn’t drink lemonade, and that this must be a craving of some sort, but seeing as it was now 1:30 in the afternoon and the green bag was still on their dresser upstairs, he knew Jackie wouldn’t say anything. 

Rose woke up with the intention to tell her right away, but they had slept in after living the previous day twice, and Pete had been working when they came downstairs, and Jackie was laughing with Tony she just…

She was making lemonade. 

She took a sip and made a face, and he chuckled under his breath, watching as she cut another lemon and muttered in Gallifreyan in her mind about the ‘damn seeds’ as she scooped them out and added more sugar. Then another scoop. Then another. 

He was biting his cheek to stop from grinning like an idiot at how adorable he thought she was, but when she took another sip and proceeded to scoop even more sugar into the glass, he got up and took the bowl from her, giving her a small look. 

“I think a cup is more than enough, hm?” he murmured, and Rose just rolled her eyes. “You should melt it down, it’ll make it easier to stir.” 

“Oi, nobody asked you. I think I know how to make lemonade,” she said, mood swings in full flight, and Jackie covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile. The Doctor just opened his mouth, and then closed it, and he just handed her to the glass, watching as she sipped. “Mmmm. It’s perfect. You want some?” 

“No, all yours,” he said with a smirk, and Rose gave him a knowing smile as she continued to sip, and he kissed her head. 

Jackie watched, and she let out a small breath. She knew Rose would tell her when she was ready, and she found herself with a tight throat as she continued to take the two of them in from the corner of her eye.

For years, she’d watched as the way the Doctor looked at her daughter shifted. It had gone from a friendly smile to a longing gaze. At times it was laced with possessiveness - the way it had been before he tried to send her away on Canary Wharf, as if he needed her to be safe more than he needed the air in his lungs. 

And after they lost each other, it became love. Maybe it always was, Jackie thought now, and it took that trauma for him to finally let it show, but for the following year as they danced around their feelings some more she saw it. Pure, unadulterated love, with a hint of longing, until they finally gave in. 

And now, as he laughed with her against the counter, nearly two years of marriage later, he was looking at her like the axis of his world rested in her eyes. And she saw, for a brief second, when he kissed her head and gave her a lingering touch on her belly. 

She’d noticed him do that often without realizing it since they arrived. She’d also seen the way his eyes check in with her whenever she walked into a room; the way she gave him a soft, reassuring smile; the way he found ways to sneak her food, or cover for her when she got sick, and she knew that her daughter couldn’t be in better hands during this pregnancy. 

She would never have guessed it a few years ago, but he made a pretty damn good husband. 

They heard Tony squeal, snapping Jackie from her thoughts as they all looked over, and Pete was looking over his laptop, catching his dragon toy in the air and throwing it back to him, making Tony giggle. 

The Doctor smiled and his eyes met Jackie’s, who mouthed ‘thank you’ again, and he just winked. 

It was a quiet day. The only one working was Pete, but they all moved into the living room as he stayed on his laptop, and the air, especially compared to the day before, was light. They were in a domestic bubble, one the Doctor no longer took for granted as Rose sat next to her mother, both looking behind them to see him immediately sit down to play with Tony. Jackie wrapped her arm around Rose who rested her head on her shoulder and they flipped the telly on, absent mindedly watching the news as Pete finished his reports. 

“Angry parents are taking to social media today, complaining that the ‘Max Robot Tutor’ from Brain Guru Inc. malfunctioned overnight. The toy, which had been selling out across the country, appears to have a major manufacturing flaw, and as of this morning, every single toy in existence stopped working. When we asked the CEO of Brain Guru, Charles Lemon, for more information about what Brain Guru is doing to rectify their mistake, here’s what he had to say,” a reporter said, speaking clearly, and the Doctor stopped his playing for a moment to watch, sharing a quick glance with Rose. 

The camera switched from the reporter, a woman in her early 30’s to Charles, walking into Brain Guru’s doors, trying to shield his face. “No comment.”

“Mr. Lemon, don’t you find it odd every toy malfunctioned at the same time -” one reporter asked, his microphone in Charles’ face. 

“Mr. Lemon, what about refunds for the families -” another said. 

“Mr. Lemon, can you specify what kind of problem the toys had -” one more said, and Rose and the Doctor watched as the man turned to the cameras, as angry as he was with Rose, and shouted ‘Shut the hell up, no comment’ one more time, before he added an expletive or two the station had to bleep out. 

“Does he kiss his mum with that mouth?” Jackie muttered, and Rose just bit her lip in a smile, looking over at the Doctor, who was also grinning, thinking their mission that morning went better than either expected. 

The camera switched back to the reporter. “As a result, Brain Guru Inc’s stock has plummeted, and donors are backing out of deals. More on this story as it develops.” 

“Well done, both of you,” Pete said, and Rose just smiled. “They deserve that.” 

The Doctor swallowed and nodded, and he saw Rose look at him, a gleam in her eye. 

_Do you mind grabbing the bag?_

Their eyes locked, and he felt his heart rate increase just a little alongside hers, which was beating rapidly in his ring. 

_You sure?_

_Yes. Feeling a little inspired._

He smiled a little and ruffled Tony’s hair as he stood, kissing Rose briefly before running upstairs. Jackie was aware something was going on, though Pete didn’t seem to have much of an idea. He was still watching the news, but he glanced over as the Doctor walked back in and handed Rose the bag, a nervous energy following him suddenly. 

“Mum, can we turn that off for a bit?” Rose asked. Jackie’s own heart was pounding, and she went to grab the remote, but Pete flashed her a look. 

“I’m still watching that!” he said, and Jackie turned it off anyway. 

“Oi, shut it. Rose has something she wants to tell us, pay attention,” Jackie snapped, and Pete just grumbled as Rose looked at the Doctor. 

“Hey, T-bird, can you come here?” Rose asked, and Tony bounced over, letting Jackie pull him into her lap. “This is for you, Mum.” 

Rose stopped breathing as she handed the bag to her, grabbing the Doctor’s hand, and Jackie was speechless, aware that all their lives were about to change and she reached inside and pulled out the onesie, immediately smiling as tears began to form in her eyes. She laughed a little and glanced up, looking at the Doctor. “Oh, that’s cute. Was this your idea?” 

“The baby or the onesie?” he asked, and Jackie just reached over to hit his arm. Rose bit her lip and smiled, and Pete’s eyes widened at the word ‘baby’, suddenly staring at the words on the outfit in his wife’s hand. 

“I don’t get it,” he said, and Rose sighed. 

“I’m pregnant,” she whispered, and Pete looked at her, still wide-eyed. 

“Not that part...I meant…” he said, breaking off and suddenly smiling. “Oh! Because he’s...Oh! I’m an idiot. Congratulations!” 

He moved to hug Rose, giving her a squeeze and kissing her head before he turned and hugged the Doctor, laughing. Jackie, even though she knew, was crying, and Tony was looking at Rose, who was watching her mother carefully. “You alright?” 

“Sweetheart, come here,” she whispered, pulling Rose into a hug. She held her tightly and closed her eyes, and Rose felt a wave of emotion course through her, her own tears falling almost instantly. “Oh, Rose…” 

“I know,” she said, fluttering her lips a little. The Doctor and Pete were both watching, and the Doctor had a lump in his throat he was trying to ignore as Pete grabbed Tony, holding him on his hip. “I’m about 10 weeks.” 

“There’s more in the bag,” the Doctor said softly, and Jackie looked down, seeing the sonogram he had put there from his pocket. She suppressed a sob, her hand covering her mouth as she lifted it up. 

“Oh good, it only has one head,” she said through tears, and the Doctor rolled his eyes. Rose burst out into laughter, and Pete walked over to look at the picture behind Jackie, taking a deep breath. 

He and Rose had a rocky relationship, he knew, and while things had gotten better, some days were hard and he still felt like an undeserving copy of her actual father. But today, he knew by her smile, was a good day. He looked at her, and he cleared his throat. “This is wonderful news.” 

“We think so, too,” Rose said, wiping her eyes. 

“How are you feeling?” Jackie asked, grabbing Rose’s hand. “I know you’ve been getting sick. I kept my mouth shut, but I knew. Oh, sweetheart….Oh! Pete you should run to the store and grab ginger ale and ginger biscuits, that’s all I ate when I was pregnant with you, Rose. Loads of boxes of biscuits and cases of that stuff. Did my body good, it did. We can get you anything you want.” 

“I’m okay, Mum,” Rose said, smiling. “I swear. The Doctor’s been...he’s been fantastic.” 

He looked at her, and he placed his hand on her shoulder, rubbing slightly. “Ginger ale is a good idea, Jackie,” he said. He watched his mother-in-law’s jaw tremble, apparently not expecting him to agree with her, and Rose looked at him. He kissed her and when he pulled away Tony looked confused, and he laughed. “You’re going to be an Uncle. Uncle Tony! Pretty cool, huh?” 

“What?” he asked as Pete put him down. The Doctor just looked at him, his jaw clenching a little as he held his emotions together. 

“I know you call me Uncle Doctor, Monster, and I rather like it. But, well...technically, I’m your brother-in-law, did you know that? I’m married to your sister, so...” he said. 

Tony just stared at him, and Rose traced her lips with her tongue, aware this might be going over her brother’s head a little. The Doctor did too, and he grabbed the sonogram, showing it to Tony instead. “This…” he began, taking a deep breath and clearing his throat. “This is a picture of your sister’s tummy. Well, technically, I suppose it’s not her tummy. It’s her uterus, which is part of -” 

“Doctor,” Rose said, and he looked at her, realizing his nerves caused him to ramble, and he smiled. 

“That right there, Monster...That’s a baby. Her baby. Hers and mine,” he whispered.

“Cool,” Tony said, and the Doctor laughed. 

“It is, isn’t it?” he said, and Jackie couldn’t keep it together. 

“Oh, bloody hell, this damn alien…” she said, waving her hand quickly to control herself, and Pete handed her a tissue that she blew into. Rose didn’t hear her, completely spellbound by her husband at the moment. He treated her brother like an equal, which she supposed he’d always done, and she smiled, realizing there was no coddling, he wasn’t changing his voice or speaking in code, and she found herself falling head over heels all over again, thinking what a _fantastic_ father he will be. 

“What’s their name?” Tony asked. The Doctor smiled. 

“They don’t have one yet,” he said. “But when they do, you’ll be the first to know. How’s that sound?” 

Tony nodded, and the Doctor hugged him, letting out a breath. 

The northern voice in his head had been quiet for many months, ever since he met Bad Wolf, but it rang now, teasing him for being so utterly domesticed, and he ignored it.

He had a family, in more ways than one, sitting here in this room. A perfectly imperfect mix of humans, who wrapped his hearts around their fingers instantly and he knew he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

It took him 900 years and 10 bodies to learn this, but love, he reminded himself, makes it all worth it. 

Rose looked back at her mother, who was still a slobbery mess, and she pulled her into a hug. “I love you.” 

“Oh, Rose...I love you, sweetheart,” she said. 

There was a moment, one they both felt, one the Doctor felt too through his connection to Rose, where Jackie almost asked more. It was a moment where Rose almost closed off entirely and changed the subject, the way he might, but it came and went fairly quickly, as if Jackie decided one set of news was enough for now, and she was afraid the answer to her other question might make one of them a little sad, so she chose not to ask. 

A mother’s intuition. 

“Are you two still going to travel, then?” she asked instead, and Rose nodded. 

“Yeah, but we’re being careful, promise,” she said. Jackie stiffened. 

“Oh, sweetheart, you should stay here, we can -” she started, but she stopped herself and let out a long breath, realizing she was doing it again. Trying to keep Rose with her, where she knew she was safe, when she knew better. “Alright. Just don’t go running after any Cybermen for God’s sake.” 

“We promise,” Rose whispered. 

The Doctor clenched his jaw, knowing Jackie meant it to be a strange joke perhaps, but he just looked at Rose, and he watched her reaction. She took a deep breath and looked down, and he slipped his hand into hers. 

“We can come by more often, if you want,” the Doctor murmured, looking at Rose. She bit her lip and nodded, and he kissed her hand. Jackie smiled. 

“Last question, then Pete’s going to go to the store and we’ll have a little celebration,” she said, and Pete groaned. 

“Are you volunteering my services?” he asked, but Jackie ignored him. 

“Is she safe? Half alien baby in there, I mean, is she -” she began, and the Doctor just looked at her. 

“Yes,” he said, choosing not to elaborate further. Rose bit her lip and looked over at Tony, who was back to playing with his toys. 

She could tell her. Now would be the perfect time. It would ease her discomfort, assure her mother that their baby’s DNA was more than compatible for her body, and that the Doctor wouldn’t lose both of them. That, in fact, she would be with him forever. 

She could tell her, she _should_ tell her… 

“I want cake,” Rose said, and she smiled at the Doctor. “Chocolate cake.” 

“Oh, we can make that happen, can’t we, sweetheart?” Jackie said, looking at Pete, who was writing a list down on a notepad before he left to the store, and when he returned, he had a case of ginger ale, biscuits, some snacks for Tony, and a fairly large chocolate sheet cake. 

It was a night to remember, as they all laughed together and ate. Rose was feeling a mix of emotions, but she let the guilt for not telling her mother everything go and smiled at how happy she was to know about the baby, and for today, for this moment, she let that be enough. 

Because it was. 

The Doctor and Pete were talking when Jackie came up to Rose and once again checked in on all her symptoms, making sure there wasn’t anything else she needed. Rose just smiled and gave in a little, letting her make her a cup of tea and give her some nausea medicine. 

The Doctor raised his eyebrow at Rose from across the room as she took the pills from Jackie, which were essentially Dramamine, and he just shook his head slightly. 

_That won’t do anything, love. Your body is used to the other stuff. It might make it worse._

_Look at her. It’s making her happy._

He sighed and watched as she took the pill. When Jackie smiled and turned around, he smirked at her as he saw her spit it back out into a napkin, which he then took and threw away for her with a wink. 

_Sneaky._

_Thank you._

Their eyes flirted for a moment, and Tony looked at Rose, his cake half on his face. 

“How come your tummy is small?” he asked, and Rose looked at him, surprised he was asking something like that. 

“Oh,” she said, “They have to grow. Like how you had to grow. Like how you’re still growing. You’ll see.” 

“Does it hurt?” he asked. Jackie looked over now too, a little amused by Tony’s questions. Rose took a bite of cake and shrugged. 

“A little, sometimes,” she said. “Ask me again after I give birth though, yeah?” 

“Don’t,” Jackie said. “Trust me.” 

Rose smirked at her, and Tony seemed content for now, returning his attention to his cake. 

They all celebrated a little while longer, eventually eating some actual food, too, but Tony began to fall asleep sitting up, and his yawns triggered Rose’s, and before they knew it, all of them were saying goodnight with hugs, heading upstairs, and Jackie just kissed Rose’s cheek. 

“Sleep well, sweetheart,” she said, and Rose smiled, kissing her cheek too before she moved to the bedroom. The Doctor moved to follow, but Jackie stopped him, pulling him into a hug. 

“What’s this?” he asked, and she pulled away, her throat a little tight, staring at him. 

“I know we give each other a hard time, and I know we know it’s all just good fun at this point,” she whispered, “but you have turned out to be….well, nothing like I thought, Doctor. And I hope you’re happy. You deserve it. You’re just so good to her, in ways I never imagined...and she’s so good to you, and now you’re going to be...and... Oh, shut up. I may just be feeling blubbery tonight, and I swear to God if you ever mention this I’ll kill you, but…” 

“Jackie,” he said, “I love you, too.” 

She stared at him, completely stunned, which made him smirk. 

“Right, well, I’m going upstairs to my pregnant wife now, so I’ll see you tomorrow?” he said, and Jackie just smiled. 

“See you tomorrow,” she said, kissing his cheek. “You stupid idiot.” 

“Quite right,” he said, and he smiled at her, joining Rose in her room. 

“Told your mother I love her.” 

“And I missed it?!” she said, lying on the bed in her pajamas. He just laughed and pulled his suit coat off, placing it on the dresser. He then removed his shoes and his tie, and climbed next to her, but she turned and gave him a look. “Pants.” 

“Rose,” he whined, and she flashed his favorite smile. “Fine.” 

He got up and switched his trousers for flannels, and both finished getting ready for bed, brushing their teeth next to each other with small glances, the cherry on top of their very domestic day. 

He spit his toothpaste in the sink and looked at her, and she seemed a little lost in thought, brushing the same spot over and over, and he rubbed her back. “You alright?” 

“Hm?” she said, and realized what she was doing, quickly finishing her task. “Yeah.” 

He looked at her, his eyes tracing every feature on her face for a moment, and he hugged her. 

Her arms wrapped around him instantly, her cheek pressed to his chest, and he continued to rub her back. “You told her.” 

“I did,” she said, smiling at him. “It was a good day, wasn’t it?” 

“Oh, yes,” the Doctor said, kissing her slowly. Their mouths tasted of peppermint again, and he slipped one hand into her hair, deepening the kiss just a little before he pulled away, pressing his forehead to hers. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

She sighed, because of course he knew. 

“No,” she said. “I just want to be happy she knows. Happy Mickey knows. And Jack, and happy that now we get to tell Donna and Martha and happy that today was just a really good day. And I’m happy she didn’t slap you.” 

“Well,” he said. “You have a ways to go. She still might.” 

“True, and then who knows what she’ll do once we have eighteen years of raising them,” she said. “Is that right? How does that...I mean…We never talked about that.” 

He looked at her and smiled, kissing her again. “Longer, probably. Though we’ll know more about aging when we can run more specific tests. They’re too small right now, though.” 

“What do you mean? Will they suddenly be adults overnight or something?” she said, and he shook his head, smiling at her. 

“Not at all. Sort of the opposite. Like I said, I’ll have to run tests,” he whispered. 

“What do you think, though?” she said, smiling at him, and he took a deep breath, leading her out of the loo so they could talk about all of this lying down. They looked at each other as their heads touched the pillows, and he slid his hand into hers, tracing her name in Gallifreyan on her belly. 

“I don’t know what their DNA looks like, exactly, but they have two hearts, so a Time Lord lifespan should be… They should age at a rate similar, if not slightly slower than humans for the first one hundred years or so.” 

“Why slower?” she asked, and he sighed. 

“It was Gallifrey and probably Rassilon’s way of making sure we had plenty of time,” he murmured, and she looked at it. 

“For what?” she asked. 

“To learn about Time,” he whispered, and she just bit her lip. 

“That’s ironic,” she said seriously, and he just smiled and nodded. 

“Pretty much everything Rassilon did was,” he said, and she laughed a little bit, believing that completely. He let out a breath, still writing her name, once again feeling that mix of sadness and joy and relief to be able to share his home with her. 

He didn’t have to remember alone. 

“It’s not drastic by any means. I was twenty-five or so when I received my regenerations and looked about eighteen. And their brain, of course, will probably be more advanced,” he said with a wink, which made her laugh. “Course then when the outward aging stopped I was one-hundred and looked about seventy, and I stayed in that body for centuries.” 

“Blimey,” Rose said, laughing, and he laughed with her. “Time is weird.” 

“Isn’t it just?” he hummed, brushing her hair behind her ear. “There’s a lot to figure out, I know. And my father’s words about ensuring their regenerations...I’ve thought about those almost every day. But I’m trying to just believe in destiny a little.” 

“Well, you know me. I like destiny,” she murmured, and her lips met his just as his tongue brushed them, and she moaned a little. “And it comes to that, then we’ll find a way.” 

He didn’t say anything, and he tried not to dwell, knowing worrying wouldn’t do him any good. He just leaned in and kissed her, their bodies moving closer to each other. “What about me?” 

“What about you?” he asked, kissing her again. He was about to pull away so she could finish her question, but her legs wrapped around his, and he felt that state of _want_ creep back up, and he suddenly had other plans. “I have lots of things I could say about you.” 

He moved to kiss her neck, his voice suddenly silky and low, and she bit her lip. “I could talk about how brilliant you are,” he said, kissing her more, “Or how attractive,” he said, “Or how witty, or brave, or compassionate. How stubborn and maddening and perfect you are...” 

He kissed her between each phrase, sending shivers down her spine, and she began to make the noises he was craving, causing him to slide his hands under her shirt, groping and rubbing. 

“How you drive me absolutely crazy,” he whispered, and she cried out a little. “Truly, it’s a problem.” 

“Is it?” she said, her entire body warm as he shifted to hover on top of her, kissing her hurriedly. 

“Sometimes, Rose Tyler,” he began, his breath labored, “sometimes I can’t focus, sometimes at the most inopportune times, because all I’m thinking about is this.” 

He touched her between her thighs, and she gripped the sheets. 

“Yeah?” she asked, and he smiled against her skin. 

“Mhm,” he said. 

“Tell me more,” she breathed out, and he moaned, her voice sending heat through his whole body, too. 

“Well,” he said. “I know I was talking about that first body of mine…” 

They were pulling their clothes off, their skin reflecting the moonlight, and she was squirming, making him lose control just a little. 

“But I much prefer this one…” he said, molding their bodies together in the way he knew only this body could, the one who was made for her. She covered her mouth to stop from screaming and risk her mother barging in to shut them up, and he hissed her name. 

“I love you,” they both said, trying desperately to stay quiet, and they opted not to speak at all and say it all in their minds, not trusting themselves. 

That turned out to be for the best. 

They had to stop at one point and sonic the headboard so it didn’t make noise against the wall, and he got creative, trying new positions and angles knowing no one would hear, but when Rose let out a scream she couldn’t control, he laughed and shushed her, and she flipped them over, pressing him against the mattress, 

“That wasn’t fair,” she said, and he felt his body arch against her as she took control, reminding him her body was made for his, too. 

She swayed and rocked and kissed him just as the supernova burst against the splash of moonlight spilling onto the bed, and she collapsed against him, sweaty and dazed, and he wrapped both arms around her, holding her to him, catching his breath that only she could take away. 

“My Doctor,” she said for the second time in twenty four hours, and he smiled, kissing her head. 

“What were you going to ask?” he murmured. “I got a little carried away.” 

“No arguments from me,” she said, tilting her head to look at him properly. “Just...Am I aging?” 

“We’re all aging,” he said. “Technically, I mean. May not show it outwardly, but each day that passes we all-” 

She just gave him a look, and he just took a deep breath, kissing her. 

“Does it matter?” he whispered. “You have a Time Lord lifespan, Rose. Human DNA and all, it’s me and you forever.” 

She stared at him for a moment, and she rubbed her lips together, her naked body still lying on top of him, with his still very much a part of her. 

“Are you deflecting because you don’t want to tell me or because you don’t know?” she asked, and he just brushed her hair back. 

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I never ran that test. Somehow it never occurred to me. But probably not.” 

“So we can do more of this forever and ever?” she said, and he just smiled, the gleam in her eye making him want to hold her and never let go. 

“That’s what I was aiming for,” he said with a wink, and she bit her lip, letting a moment pass. 

“Can we maybe do that test?” she said, a little more seriously. “I want to make sure.” 

“Okay,” he said, watching her as she kissed his chest and slid off of him. Normally they’ll cuddle for a bit, but she got up and immediately moved to clean up and put her clothes back on, and his brow furrowed. He sat up completely and watched her walk back in, and he reached for her hand. “What’s wrong?” 

She was playing with her lip again, biting some of the skin off, and she just sighed. “It’s stupid.”

“Tell me, please?” he whispered. She saw the worry in his face and she shook her head, swallowing. 

“Just...you’ve told me before that you can regenerate from old age. If I’m aging, then I can too, yeah?” she said. 

“Yes,” he said. “And like I said, we’re all aging, even if we don’t show it. We’re not immortal, love.” 

“Right, no, I know,” she whispered, biting her lip. “Just…what if I reach old age faster than you do? Or vise versa?” 

She closed her eyes, knowing this was irrational, but so far, being pregnant made her worry about things in a way she was usually able to avoid. She was usually so very good at not getting ahead of herself, but right now she was, and he just looked at her, realizing what was going on. 

He clenched his jaw, pulling her back onto the bed next to him so he could wrap his arm around her. “Come here.” 

She sighed, letting him lay her down beside his body as she stared at the ceiling. He began to write ‘forever’ in Gallifreyan on her arm this time, and he sat in silence for a moment, figuring out where to begin. 

“Time Lord lifespan,” he whispered. “That means we’re aging at the same rate.” 

“But you don’t know if I’m aging,” she said. He shook his head. 

“I don’t know if you’re going to physically show aging,” he said. “They’re two different things.” 

It clicked a little, and she just gave him a look. “Are you saying our kid could potentially look seventy in one-hundred years and we’ll still look like we do now?” 

“Can we worry about one thing at a time, maybe?” he asked, sensing a hormonal spiral. She bit her lip and he cupped her cheek. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” she said. 

“We have two more regenerations each,” he whispered. “So this question...It’s valid, Rose. I can’t believe I never thought of it, and I will do the test if you want me to. But it doesn’t matter right now, okay? Not until we’re in our final chapter.” 

“That sounds so sad,” she whispered, and he smiled. 

“No, Rose, no...” he said, “I don’t mean it to. We have so much life to live before then. And as someone who has lived nine other lives, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that I have never been more excited to see what the hell that means.” She bit her lip, and he took a deep breath. “We’re going to be fine. I promise.” 

“Okay,” she said, and he kissed her. “Sorry, this is all...I have a feeling this is all coming up now because I didn’t tell Mum everything.” 

“I know,” he said, tapping his head, and she smiled, knowing he did. “And to answer your other question...Yes.” She made a face, and he laughed, hugging her. “Again, not something to worry about now, alright?” 

“Right,” she whispered. A moment passed. Then another, and she let him clean up and change too, watching the moon through the window. “I don’t think I can tell her.” 

He was pulling his shirt on as she said this, and he felt his Adam’s apple bob. “Don’t need to now.” 

She just sighed and began to cry a little, and he knew there wasn’t anything he could do. He knew it wasn’t about him, he knew this was premature grief, which was a feeling he was quite familiar with. He had felt it every time he looked at her for years, after all, and with every human he’d ever come across in various ways. 

So he didn’t speak, or push, or ask questions. He just pulled her to him, holding her, and let themselves repeat this cycle again, knowing she needed it. She’d find her confidence eventually, he knew she would, but not right now. 

“Hey,” he said. “It’s a happy day.” 

“Yeah,” she said, sniffling and touching her belly. “It is.” 

He waited for a bit as her tears dissipated, and he eventually smirked. 

“Can we talk about how Pete didn’t get the joke?” he asked. Rose laughed, and the sound brightened the room. 

“He was so embarrassed,” she said. The Doctor was smiling, and she looked up at him. “Did you enjoy your cake?” 

“I did,” he said. She smiled. 

“We had a few things to celebrate, didn’t we?” she whispered, and he just shook his head and took a deep breath. 

“Oh, yes,” he said. “See? Good day.” 

“Good day,” she mumbled. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too,” he said softly, and they didn’t say much else, their emotional rollercoaster and passionate sex having worn them out a little, and they drifted off. 

She dreamt of darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also - if you don't know what was on the onesie, read "Unspoken Words" :)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm less familiar with Torchwood than I am Doctor Who, just a full disclosure. I watched a few episodes and I know what happens to the characters, and hopefully it doesn't distract too much. Gonna sort of create my own versions of them, and they will be more minor characters apart from Jack :) This is the Doctor & Rose's story after all.


End file.
